FEATURES

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIESA Startup for StartupsMassChallenge may have a “wacky model,” but that’s not stopping the not-for-profit accelerator program from helping innovators get to market.by Mike Buetow

PCB DESIGNSuper Small Via-in-PadVia-in-pad as an issue won’t go away. But the answer to how to treat them remains the same.by Duane Benson

EMS COMPANY OF THE YEARNew Vision at LightspeedSmall tier EMS companies are perpetually undercapitalized and short of resources. But every so often, one emerges that has the vision and the capability to rival their larger competitors.by Mike Buetow

RETROSPECTIVEIn MemoriamA look back at friends and colleagues who left us in 2013.

TECH TALK

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BOARD DESIGNSolving ECAD/MCAD Co-DesignNew generation ECAD systems address multi-board and native 3D design capabilities, along with direct translation to leading mechanical computer-aided design systems, enabling complete packaging and electronics assembly information to be transmitted between different disciplines in a fraction of the time required in the past.by Humair Mandavia

PCB WARPAGEHow and Why to Use the IPC-9641 StandardIPC-9641, High Temperature Printed Board Flatness Guideline, is the first standard to address local area PCB warpage across reflow profile temperatures. The standard is both educational about the general topic of PCB warpage measurement and specific in its guidelines for how such measurement should be done. A summary of the contents of IPC-9641, plus notes about how to implement it.by Ken Chiavone

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SNAPEDAMaking Simulation a ‘Snap’A new vendor-agnostic platform captures what designers know about components and how they perform electrically in real-world applications, and redistributes that knowledge on a wide scale.by Mike Buetow

COMPONENTSA Custom BGA for Particle Physics ExperimentsDeep inside the CERN collider, detectors capture faint electrical signals the particles produce during their transit. How a novel high-yield and higher functioning BGA package was designed to replace a more expensive COB part in the sensors.by Benjamin Buck

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MaterialsFabrication Influences on High-Frequency PCB Electrical PerformanceThe electrical performance of a board can be greatly impacted by how it is fabricated, especially at higher frequencies. High-frequency PCBs incorporate controlled-impedance circuit traces that require tight conductor etching tolerances and tight control of thickness. Electrical losses must often be controlled at higher frequencies, and such losses can be influenced by solder mask and ENIG.by John Coonrod

Data TransferGerber Grows AttributesOutput and read by every PCB design and engineering system in the world, the Gerber format is the de facto standard for CAD-to-CAM data transfer. A new extension to the age-old format now permits layer structures, features and functions to be described.by Karel Tavernier

NTI-100The Changing Fab LandscapeThe annual list of the largest PCB fabricators reveals big changes coming to Japan and Thailand. But for Brazil, India and the West, it’s more of the same.by Dr. Hayao Nakahara

FEATURES

PCB DesignPlacement of Passive Devices Used for Enet Signal TerminationTips on how to achieve the correct placement of passive devices, including a look at the maximum stub lengths option that helps avoid improper placement issues.by Andy Buja

Alumina Substrates: Packing MorePassive Components into Less SpaceResistor and capacitors still consume a majority of board space in most electronic devices. Alumina substrate technology can offer a useful solution.by Mike West